A Different Type of War
by IAmJohnLocked4Life
Summary: "Tell her it will be okay. Lie to her like I lied to my wife." Anything in italics is from a person who was not involved in this incident. Rated T for stong language
1. Chapter 1

_Today it rains down, much like the tears that flow from his eyes. Another casualty of a war that went on for too long was laid to rest today. I do not know who is being laid to rest, but it has to be someone who was not close to many people. I was standing on a hill, overlooking the scene. Few were crying. The man who I remember as a young boy is crying the hardest, his wife and children standing by his side. When the crowd begins to thin, I approach the grave. I need to find out who the last casualty is. When I have arrived, the boy has left with his family. I stand still for a moment, absorbing the information that is written on the grave marker. This does not make since. Why is the boy crying over a man who did not love him? Why is the boy crying over a man who hated him for so many years? I begin to walk briskly toward the direction of the family. It is my job to find out the real story behind the sorrow of this man. It is my job to find out what happened, and it is a the story that I share with you today._

The boy's name is Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. He was forced to skip his last year at Hogwarts. It was a failed attempt to kill Voldemort. You may think that he killed him on that fateful night during the Battle of Hogwarts. However, you are mistaken. Yes, Voldemort did die but it was not for many years later. Harry had failed to kill Voldemort. He had watched so many people die that night. The students of Hogwarts and anyone who defied Voldemort that night were forced to retreat. That was when Harry realized that many had a short time to live. It was his decision to marry Ginny Weasley after the battle. It was a secret ceremony that was only witnessed by few.

Ginny gave birth to a baby boy two years after she had married Harry. James Sirius Potter, was born in the midst of a war. Harry had not been there to witness the birth of his son. He had been in a battle with death eaters. It was one where he was barely able to escape. A year later, Albus Severus Potter was born. Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape were two men who had died due to the war. Harry had also missed the birth of his second child, for he had gone missing. He was tortured for days on end by the death eaters who had captured him. Harry had almost lost his life that day. He managed to escape with Peruvian instant darkness powder that he had held onto. Harry went to a safe house that only few knew about. Ginny had nursed him back to health.

"Ginny…." He whispered. "I think you need to stay with your parents."

"No, Harry. I am staying with you." She replied.

"Ginny….If people see you with me, then they may figure out that I love you. If they can find me and do this to me, I hate to imagine what they can do to you. I don't want to see you hurt. I want you and the kids to be safe."

"Harry, nothing is going to happen to us. We are safe here."

"No, you're not. They took me just down the street. You are not safe here."

"You need to rest. You just came too." She was trying to change the subject.

"I am fine right now. I need to make sure you and the kids are safe. When I am healed, you need to go live with your parents."

"Harry…"

"Ginny, please."

Ginny sat there for a moment, thinking over her options, but she knew that Harry was right.

"Fine."

"Thank you Ginny."

Harry healed five days later and Ginny went to her parents house, where she had lived with her parents for the past two years. Harry had only been able to see his children once every few months. It killed him that he could not watch his children grow up. The safe house, which had been used as the headquarters for The Order of The Phoenix, became very lonely. Very few people were around. When people did come over, they only brought bad news. When Mrs. Weasley entered the house one evening, Harry knew that the news that she was about to bring was not pleasant.

"Mrs. Weasley…."

"She's gone!" The woman cried.

"What?"

"Ginny and the children are gone. They went out to by some food and they never came back."

Panic rose in Harry's chest. Where could his family have gone? Who took them?

"This came just after supper." Mrs. Weasley whispered, pulling an envelope out of her pocket.

Harry took the envelope, which was labeled Harry Potter, and opened it quickly.

"_Your family is missing. If you want to see them alive, come to the place where your parents died. If you are not here by midnight, then your family will die."_

Harry dropped the envelope to the ground and ran out the door. Night had fallen when he was far away from the peering eyes of muggles. He apparated to Godric's Hallow as quick as he had left the safe house.

He could see the old house from the hill that he was standing on, but was too far to see what may have been happening inside. Harry took off in a full sprint. When his feet began to make a rhythmic pounding on the street, he pulled out his wand. He didn't look around as he ran, his sights were set on the old house. He knew that there were others around him, but it didn't bother him. Throwing open the old wooden gate, Harry ran even faster.

"Ginny!" He yelled as he entered the house.

"Harry!" Ginny yelled back.

It took five steps for Harry to clear the staircase.

"Ginny!" He yelled again.

"Harry!"

"Daddy!" His kids yelled.

Harry took off toward the room at the end of the wall. The door was slightly open and Harry through the door open.

"Expelliarmus." A cold voice growled.

Harry's wand went flying out of his hand, then he went down to the ground in pain. His muscles began to tighten and he could feel his body shaking uncontrollably. He heard Ginny's screams of fright as the Cruciatus curse took effect on her husband. She began to cry as the curse stayed on Harry for minutes on end. Finally, the tormentor released the curse and Harry's body relaxed.

"Get up." The cold voice ordered.

Harry was slow to get up. He had been looking around the room, attempting to devise a plan. There was a crib in the room and a dresser, but not much else. Ginny, who was holding the children tight, was sitting beside the dresser.

"I said get up Potter." The voice growled once again.

Their tormentor approached Harry. He made the one decision that made sense, Fight. He took one swing at his tormentor and missed. It was the worst time to miss. Harry fell to the ground, pushed by the mystery man, and kicked multiple times.

"Stop right now, Potter." The man said as Harry tried once again to take him down. "Or I start killing your family."

Harry struggled to his knees as the man moved away from him. While catching his breath, Harry looked up. The man was dressed in jet black robes, his wand was pointed threateningly at Ginny and the kids. Harry's eyes traveled farther up the man and Harry almost fell over. How could his be? The man had died five years ago during the battle and now he was holding Harry and his family hostage.

"Snape." Harry growled as he spit blood out of his mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

"Yes, Potter. It's me. Who else do you think is cunning enough to find out where your precious family was living? It really wasn't hard."

"What do you want? I know you have a problem with me, so let my family go."

"I can't do that. I know the only way to hurt you, is to hurt those that you love. The Dark Lord knew that long ago. He will not be the one to kill Harry Potter, I will."

"So, it's true. You were a death eater."

"I'm going to take away your family, just like he took away mine."

Snape walked over to Ginny and the children, now pointing the wand at Harry.

"Who is it that you love most, Potter?"

He took the wand and began to point it at Harry's children.

"Please stop Snape. You are scaring my family."

The wand hovered over Ginny.

"God damn it Snape. Stop pointing your wand at my family."

"It seems that we have a winner."

Snape wrenched Ginny away from her children and dragged her to the middle of the room, despite the children's screams of protest. James began to get up and run toward his mother.

"James!" Harry yelled in a stern tone, causing the boy to stop and look at his father. "Please sit down for me. Let me take care of mom."

"But I want to help." The boy protested.

"You know how you can help. You can go and sit with your brother. I want you guys to…." Harry looked around, trying to find something to distract his kids. There was a pile of book that were sitting beside his. "I want you guys to slowly read these books. Can you do that? If you finish, go ahead and read them again."

"Okay." James said as he walked over to his father. He took the books and went over with his baby brother.

"Make sure you face the wall." Harry added.

"Okay, Daddy."

Once he was sure that his kids were occupied, Harry turned back to Snape. His left arm was wrapped around Ginny's shoulders and his wand pointed at her temple. Harry had to slow things down, get Snape to talk. He knew that there had been people outside when he first approached the house. Someone had to call for help.

"What do you mean when you said 'like he took away mine'?" Harry questioned. "You had a family once?"

"Of course I had a family. My wife loved me very much and I loved her back. He took her away from me."

"Who took her away from you?"

"Who do you think, Potter?"

"Voldemort."

"That's right. I married her right after Hogwarts. Can you guess who?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"I was once married to Lily Evans."

The bottom fell out of Harry. How could his mother have married this evil man?

"What did my mother see in you?" Harry asked angrily, almost hurt that his mother could have loved this man

"I was smart, compassionate, and I was there for her. I treated her like a princess. I loved her to the ends to the earth. She knew that I was a death eater. Yes, that did bother her, but her love for me outweighed that small fact. No one knew I had married her. Had anyone known, we would have been dead. We were only married for a year, then my work began to get extremely dangerous. I began to spend more time with Voldemort and, even though I had learned occlumency, I was afraid that he would learn that I was married to a muggleborn. I divorced Lily to protect her. I had said nothing else to her. I just up and left her. It was the hardest decision that I had to make in my life.

She married James Potter just three weeks after we separated. I was hurt, I must admit. How could she marry the one person who made my life hell at Hogwarts? I heard, about eight months later, that she had given birth to a boy. I began to get suspicious. Something wasn't right about it. I got access to your birth records. You were born a month to the day that we separated."

"You're my father?" Harry asked astounded.

"Of course I am your father, Potter. Why do you think that your hair is black? Your father had dark brown hair, Harry, not black. You bear more resemblance to me than to James Potter. I am your father."


	3. Chapter 3

"Two years later, I heard the prophecy." He continued.

"So my real father is the reason that my mother is dead?"

"You heave yet to let me finish my story. What is the prophecy? I know that Dumbledore told you about it after the department of mysteries scandal."

"It does not matter what he told me."

"What did it say, Goddamnit!" Snape bellowed, grasping Ginny harder and causing her to scream.

"whoa…..okay…..okay." Harry said, motioning Snape to hold on. "The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches. Born to parents who have thrice defied him. Born as the seventh month ends. The Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal, but he will have a power that the dark lord knows not. And either must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives." Harry said slowly.

"So he lied to you?"

"He would never lie to me."

"Oh yes he would. You do not know the whole story. You only know what you have been told. That was not the actual prophecy. I was forced to change the prophecy. I know that Dumbledore told you that there could have been two children of the prophecy; however, prophecies do not work like that. They are meant for one person, and one person only. He lied to you." Snape took a breath before continuing in a mockingly tone of voice. 'The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches. Born to parents who serve two opposing masters, born as the seventh month ends. The dark lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have a power that the dark lord knows not. And either must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives.' That is the real prophecy."

"If that was the real prophecy, then why were you forced to change it?"

"Were you not listening? 'Born to parents who serve two opposing masters' I served Voldemort and Lily served Dumbledore. That one fact cemented that you were the boy of the prophecy. It put myself and Lily into danger. I knew that there was another family who had defied Voldemort three times. What I didn't know is that Lily had also defied Voldemort three times. Did I know that he was going to interpret the "prophecy" that way? No. I panicked and sought out Dumbledore to protect them. However, as you know, they placed their trust in the wrong person. Peter Pettigrew came to Voldemort and myself when he became the Potter's secret keeper."

"When Voldemort had decided the night of his attack, I left to warn Lily. I was too late though. The door to the house was blown to bits. I could hear you crying, so I ran upstairs. Your father was dead on the stairs." Snape finished with a smirk on his face

"Were you happy about seeing my father dead?" Harry questioned scornfully.

"Of course. I was fucking elated to see James Potter dead. The man made my life a living hell all the time. I only had wished that I had done the bastard in myself. Anyways, I ran into this very room to find my love laying in the middle of the room. Everyone tells you that she died instantly, but she never did. Voldemort had tortured her to death because she was what he hated most. He believed that muggleborns deserve a slow and painful death. You were sitting in your crib, crying and staring at your mother. I knelt beside her and put her in my arms. I thought she was dead, but she began to speak to me. I stood up because I was going to take her to get help. I told her that I was sorry for everything that I had put her through. Of course, she understood that I was trying to protect her. She told me that the best years of her life had been with me beside her."

"I was leaving the house, when she had asked me if everything would be okay. I knew that if I did not get help soon, she was going to die. So I lied to her. I told her that everything would be okay. I was forced to lie to the one woman that I had ever loved. I knew that there was no way that I was going to find help. I knew that she was going to die, but I still lied to her. She told me that she loved me and I told her the same thing. She died in my arms seconds later. I put her back in this room and left. From there on, I was forced to watch you grow up from a distance. You may not know it, but I watched you all the time. I once attempted to talk Dumbledore into letting me get guardianship of you. He would not allow it though. He said that my position as a spy was much more important that your happiness."

"If you watched me, then you know what My Aunt and Uncle did to me. Why didn't you just take me? You could have taken me without asking Dumbledore."

"I could do no such thing."

"You could have saved me but no, you don't have the balls to defy Dumbledore. Snape you should go to hell for everything that you have done to Lily and me."

Harry should have seen the spell coming.

"Crucio!" Snape yelled and Harry collapsed to the floor in a fit of spasms.

The spell was quickly removed from Harry and Snape continued to talk. "I did everything to protect your mother."

"You knew that you were my father…." Harry said breathlessly, still reeling from the effects of the cruciatus curse. "When you found out, was there any sort of love that filled your heart?"

"What is this bullshit?" Snape questioned.

"Did you love me?"

Snape stayed silent for a moment, looking for an answer.

"No. I did not love you. You were an object of James Potter's love. I still tested you though. I pushed you to the limit. Why do you think I treated you the way I did during class?"

"If you don't love me, then why did you watch me all those years?"

"You were Lily's son. What was I suppose to do?" Snape questioned. "That is not the point though. Now we are here, sitting in the same room where everything started and ended. You are the reason that she is dead and now you must pay. I have your wife hostage. You know that I am going to kill her. She's so pretty, much like Lily. You need to reassure her that everything will be okay."

"I am not going to do that." Harry said defiantly.

"You are going to tell her, or I will take away your kids as well. Lie to her. Tell her it will be okay. Lie to her like I lied to my wife."


	4. Chapter 4

"What is that going to do? How is that going to fix this problem?"

"You know that I will kill her. You know that she is not going to get out of here alive. You know that she is going to die. I want you to tell her it will be okay though. I want you to feel the pain that I felt when Lily died." Snape sneered. "Go ahead and tell her."

"Why do you want me to feel your pain?"

"Fine, you clearly don't want to do it. That's your choice then. Crucio!" Snape growled as the spell hit Ginny.

She began to convulse against Snape, who was holding her upright.

"Goddamnit Snape, I'll do it. Just stop hurting my wife." Harry said quickly.

Snape flicked his wand and Ginny stopped convulsing. There were tears in her eyes. _"That heartless bastard." _Harry thought. "Ginny, you know I love you very much. I am going to make sure that everything will be alright. Everything will be okay." Ginny nodded her head up and down. "There." Harry looked up at Snape. "I did what you asked, so now please, give me my wife back."

"No. I think you are forgetting something, Potter. My wife died, damn it. Now your's has to die as well."

"What the hell is this bullshit, Snape?" Harry questioned. He had to stall for time. He needed to come up with a plan and the best way to do that is to get Snape to keep talking. "You should know that I am more physically and mentally weak. You can break me worse by torturing me. I don't think you have the balls to torture me though. Are you afraid that Voldemort will kill you? I want you to torture me because I know that you have a lot of hate for me. I am the reason, after all, that Lily Evans is dead. It was because I was born that she is gone. Why not punish the actual person who was responsible for taking her out of this world?"

"I am punishing that person. You may be a physically and mentally weak child, but that isn't the proper way to make you hurt. I have to take away those that you love. You know that it is true. I know how you acted after Sirius Black died. This is the only way to hurt you. Now you have three seconds to say what you need to say to your wife. Then it ends for everyone."

"Ginny…."

"One…."

"I love you so much…."

"Two…."

"And you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."

"Three…."

"I love you too, Harry." She whispered

"Avada…"

Boom! The door was blown open causing everything to happen at once. Harry leapt forward, knocking Ginny over as the spells rocketed through the room. Snape was taken by surprise. He had not heard the footsteps that Harry had heard. Snape went flying into the wall at a blistering speed, knocking the back of his head against the wall. He slid down it unconscious. There was a blur of green and purple as Harry and Ginny laid on the floor, Harry whispering "I got you' into Ginny's ear.

"Are you okay, Harry?" A deep voice questioned.

"Yeah, we are fine Kingsley." Harry responded as he helped Ginny off the ground.

Ginny flew into Harry's arms and she cried. Harry stood there and held her tight, never wanting to let her go again. He kissed her on the forehead as she cried into his chest.

"It's okay. It's over." Harry kept saying over and over.

He saw Kingsley throw Snape over his shoulder and leave the room with the unconscious man. Snape was most likely going to Azkaban now.

"Are you okay, Potter?" Mcgonagall asked.

"Yeah, we are fine. You guys got here just in time."

"I can tell that we did. Are you sure that everyone is okay?"

"Yes."

"Very well then. You should get Ginny and the kids back home. I think Molly Weasley will be glad to see them unharmed." Harry stared at her, confused. "She was the one who told us what had happened. We were unsure of where you were, but there were some nearby civilians that saw you running toward the house. Now, Go Harry."

* * *

><p><em>This is where things become questionable. We know for sure that Harry takes his family back home and there is a very tearful reunion with Molly Weasley. What we are not sure about it very interesting. Newspapers tell us that Severus Snape was to be sentenced to death, but Harry says that this never happened. There had been a mass breakout of Azkaban prisoners about two months after Severus Snape had been arrested, but he was not to escape, newspapers reported. How Harry had seen him a month later baffles everyone. It was the one night that everything ended. Harry had found Voldemort in the forbidden forest with a few of his closest followers around him. No one knew that Harry was here, but it was time for it all to end. It is fitting that it should come to this. 21 years after Lily Evans and James Potter were murdered by Voldemort<br>_

* * *

><p>"Harry Potter….." Voldemort said in his cool, snakelike voice. "Are you going to run away again, or are you going to face me like a man?"<p>

"It's time for this to end, Riddle."

"I would very much agree with you. I have a proposition for you. I know that you think you can fight me, but I would like to trade something. You are to willingly give yourself up and I shall release this man." Voldemort explain, grabbing a man in a cloak and throwing him on the ground before Harry.

The man landed with a hard thud and slowly attempted to push himself up. The man looked up at Harry through swollen eyes. The man had been beaten and tortured viciously. He was almost unrecognizable. There was blood coming from the man's nose and bruises covered his face.

"Harry." Severus Snape whispered


	5. Chapter 5

Harry was filled with shock. How did this man get out of Azkaban? The papers said that he was not one of the those who had escaped. Of course, Harry thought, the papers are under the control of Voldemort. They would cover up the disappearance of one of Voldemort's most loyal followers

"What did you do to this man?" Harry questioned, running to the potions master and kneeling beside him

"Severus Snape has been unfaithful to my cause recently, so he must pay for his indiscretions. I know what he told you that night, so now I give you my proposal. You are to drop your wand to the ground and come with me. If you do this, I shall allow Severus Snape, your real father, to go free. What will it be Harry Potter?"

Harry stayed kneeling next to the potions master.

"Please….Harry." Snape pleaded, grabbing a hold of his son's forearm tightly.

Harry wrangled out of Snape's grasp, stood up and moved away from Snape. He never took his eyes off the man.

"This man is the reason that my mother is dead and he almost killed my wife. I bear no love for this man because he bears none for me." Harry turned to Voldemort. "I will go down fighting you, Riddle, just like my mother."

"No….Harry…You don't mean that." Snape pleaded, his eyes wide with fear.

"Very well, Harry Potter. You have sealed your fate as well as his." Voldemort nodded to Snape. "Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort roared, his wand pointed at Severus Snape, who fell to the ground, dead on impact.

"NO!" Harry shouted, not knowing that Voldemort would kill his most loyal follower.

"No, it is time for you to die as well." Voldemort growled.

* * *

><p><em>Not very much is known about how this ends. Harry tells me that both he and Voldemort sent off simultaneous spells, they had impacted each other with the sound of a canon firing. We know that Harry defeats Voldemort for a second time in his life. The few death eaters that had been in the forest disappeared at the death of their master. Harry doesn't remember much after that. Minerva Mcgongall tells me that they entered the forest, knowing that Voldemort was now hiding in there. <em>

_When she and the other staff members of Hogwarts entered the scene of Voldemort's downfall, they got a shocking surprise. Harry had been kneeling in the middle of the clearing, holding onto Severus Snape, and crying over the man's body._

_Now it all makes sense as I walk back to Severus Snape's grave. Harry had come to realize that if Snape did not love him, why had the man watched him for all those years? The answer could have only been that he had loved his son, even though Snape had stated that night that it was because he had loved Lily. He had also come to realize that Snape would not have protected him or chewed him out, at least once a year, if he did not love his son. The man had to love him. Why would he have protected Harry from Lupin when he turned into a werewolf. Why would he have taught Harry occlumency? It could only have been because this was Severus Snape's perverse way of showing his love. I stand in front of the grave marker and look down. I had known this man in life and yet, I had never known the man at the same time. I had known Lily as well and knew that they were going to be together for life. I was as shocked as anyone when I had learned that Snape had divorced her. I guess I know the reason now. I wish that I could have done something more to help the man, but I can't dwell on the past. Looking down, I read Severus Snape's grave marker._

_Severus Snape_

_1/9/1960-10/31/2004_

_Father, Husband, Friend, Hero_

_He may be gone, but his life will forever impact those who choose to listen to his story._

_We always thought I would be the first one to leave this world. I say goodbye to my dear friend and walk away, reflecting on the story that I was told and what was written on the grave stone. As I walk down the row, I spot Lily Evan's grave marker right besides to her real husband, Severus Snape. I make it up to the hill that I was standing on as I watched the ceremony and I turn back for one last look. The words that I just read ring through my head. 'He may be gone, but his life will forever impact those who choose to listen to his story.' Fitting, I know that he would have loved it, if he were still here._


End file.
